Economists are harking back to the autumn of 2000, when some parts of Britain experienced the heaviest rains in 270 years, to project the likely effects on the rest of the country. Within six months, seasonal food prices had shot up 9 per cent. Higher living standards in China and India have increased global demand for meat and milk, and while consumer price inflation fell back to 2.4 per cent in June, food price inflation was double that. This has been exacerbated by severe drought in Australia and the US and a growing trend for farmers to grow crops for fuel instead of food. Consumers have enjoyed a period of relatively cheap food, with the share of household expenditure on food less than half what it was 40 years ago. Now, experts are suggesting the cost of some vegetables could rise by as much as 10 per cent.